


Weeds in the Garden

by rhythmridge



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2020-10-18 05:50:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20634140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhythmridge/pseuds/rhythmridge
Summary: if you came here through the ao3 tags then idk what to tell you





	1. Chapter 1

You finally feel something solid beneath your feet, and with the last of your strength you push yourself upwards, your head breaking the surface of the water, coughing and gasping and sinking again, but you're so close now as you find you can stand with your head above the water, staggering towards the edge of the river as the current drags at your dress, the water growing lower and lower around your feet until finally you collapse onto dry land.

For a time, all you can do is lay there, exhausted and shaking, until you finally muster the strength to lift yourself up on one arm to see where the river has taken you. It is a desolate place, a dusty field of dried grass and harsh features beneath a dull sky. There's no hope to be found there, and yet, as you look on, something rises in your chest.

You made it. You escaped. You're alive.

Your head falls back to the ground as a wave of overwhelming emotion washes over you. Too tired to stop it, you curl into yourself and let it carry you away as you fall into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

A dream.

Floating, falling, drifting. Water flowing over your face. You see darkness, you see colors, you see nothing. Have you ever been able to see? The water carries you away.

A hand reaching down, drawing you from the water. A figure, indistinct, but you recognize him. You know his name. A gaunt visage crowned by curving horns. A solemn yet gentle smile. For one moment, you see all of him, his life, his sins and triumphs, hopes and regrets, and he sees all of you. He lifts a hand, pointing upwards, higher, higher, towards a blinding light, brighter, brighter...

Three figures, voices, words with meaning lost on you as you lay between the realms of sleep and consciousness.

A sharp, horrible scratching.

The noise jolts you awake, the figures above you snapping into sharp focus, you ignore them as you leap to your feet and whirl around, searching, where is it--there!--the blood-red creature, all sharp edges and hate, trapped in a circle of vines--where had the vines come from?--ignore the vines, kill the Nightmare, kill it now, the thought running through your head as a mantra while your aura flares and sharpens and takes form and you leap forward and bring it crashing down onto the Nightmare in a searing arc of red upon red, the creature crumpling into a featureless heap, fading into nothingness.

Your ears ring as you struggle to catch your breath, staring at the place where the Nightmare had been. You've gotten so good at fighting them. You hate it.

"... Are you alright?"

The unfamiliar voice brings you back to your senses, and you turn to face the three strangers who had been standing over you when you awoke. The first appears to be human, save for a pair of cat's ears emerging from unkempt pale hair, her bright blue-violet eyes wary and alert and focused on you. By her side she holds a strange, curved blade, and you quickly look away.

The second is a creature you've never seen before, but their appearance immediately draws to mind cautionary tales of witches and evil sorcerers you heard from growing up in the Sanctum. They hunch over, a skeletal form clad in bright cloth atop a serpentine body with a thick hood covering thick locks that--you realize with horror--are actually living snakes.

The third, though, the one who had spoken, is to you the most baffling of the three. She towers above her two companions on long legs ending in cloven hooves, blue hair pulled carefully back from equally blue eyes ringed with black, one of which is almost hidden under three lines of deep scars. Her imposing presence made even more so by the pair of thick, upturned horns protruding from the sides of her head, and as you stare at her, you realize she and you are the same; your horns may be smaller and straighter, your eyes red to match your aura, but you both carry the same curse.

The three are speaking among themselves, though you don't care to listen to their conversation as you try to make sense of the demonic woman.

"You're Marked."

Their conversation stops when you speak, and the woman looks down at you. When she speaks, her voice is low, but softened with kindness.

"... Yes, I am. You are too, aren't you?"

Her words do little to help you make sense of things. All your life, you have known only one absolute truth: to bear the Mark means to suffer a horrifying end at the claws and teeth of the Nightmares. Those with the Mark do not, _can_ not, survive into adulthood.

"Why are you alive?"

The woman looks taken aback by your confusion, but the snakelike figure chuckles in a raspy voice.

"As good a question as any in this place. I think this one will fit right in."

The cat-eared woman glances at them.

"So we're taking her with us?"

"You would leave a child out here on their own?"

The demonic woman crouches down in front of you, holding out one hand. You stare at it, unsure what the gesture is supposed to mean.

"You'll be safe with us. We don't have much down here, but we can take care of you."

At her words, you can feel something inside your chest begin to harden. It is impossible for you to understand why these strangers, who know nothing about you, would extend their hospitality towards you. They had seen the Nightmare, hadn't they? Did they not realize that more would come, in larger numbers and more horrific forms, as long as you were around? If they were smart, they would kill you now, end your miserable existence and save themselves... but you can't die. Not yet. Not after making it this far.

You take a slow step away from the woman's outstretched hand. She frowns, withdrawing it, as behind her the cat-eared woman glances up at the sky, sniffing at something on the wind.

"The weather's gonna turn soon. We aughta get moving before it does."

She turns away, and it is only then that you notice the wagon nearby, an old and rickety thing that had not been there before. The cat-eared woman starts toward it, followed shortly by her snakelike companion, but the demonic woman hesitates before straightening up. She speaks slowly, choosing her words carefully.

"I'm sorry... that you have to be here. Things aren't going to be easy, but..."

It sounds as though she means to say more, but instead she sighs heavily, rubbing at the back of her neck as she turns to follow her companions. Watching her go, your attention is drawn to the musical instrument strapped to her back, a lute with a golden body in the shape of the sun.

You look around at your surroundings, the landscape dry and desolate. You would die out there alone. But you can't die yet. At a distance, you follow the strange trio.

The demonic woman is waiting for you as you approach the wagon, which you find to be much larger than it had appeared from the side of the river. It looks to be comprised of several levels, though it is hard to tell where one level ends and another begins, squashed together as they are. The result is haphazard and leaning, hunched over on four splintering wheels in such a way that makes you wonder how it all manages to stay upright.

It takes you some time to realize that as you stare at the wagon, things on the wagon stare back, things with wings, and horns, and teeth. You only notice them when one moves, jostling its partner next to it with its wing, and the two creatures chirp at each other and stare down at you with large eyes. You gasp--they aren't Nightmares, but they _resemble_ them--and instinctively your aura flares, sharpening into blades, but before you can bring it crashing against the creatures, the demonic woman is suddenly in the way, and you hurriedly pull back, your aura warping and fading like a dying flame.

"It's alright! Those are just the drive imps... I'm guessing you've never seen one before?"

You look from the woman to the creatures on the side of the wagon, which appear slightly amused by your show of aggression. The woman continues.

"They're harmless, mostly. It’s best to be careful around them when they're hungry though. ... Won't you come inside?"

She beckons towards a squat wooden door on the side of the wagon. With nowhere else to go, you step forward, keeping a watchful eye on the imps keeping a watchful eye on you. The woman opens the door and steps aside to allow you through into the wagon, which is somehow even more of a mess inside than it is out. The other two are standing in front of a wooden table on which rests a thick, white book, a rune set in its cover, which is glowing slightly.

"... Never done this before. What's it mean?"

The cat-eared woman is speaking, but she glances over as you and the demonic woman enter before turning back to the snakelike person. They make a dissenting noise and withdraw a pipe from the folds of their clothes, lighting it with a flick of their claw and a word muttered under their breath.

"Haven't the foggiest, love. Something to do with the Rites, I'm sure, but beyond that..."

The demonic woman joins them in inspecting the book while you find a suitably empty space against the wall of the wagon and press yourself into it, trying to make yourself as small and unobtrusive as possible. You've never seen a book before; they were banned in the Commonwealth, and the Sanctum had similarly strict regulations about literacy. For a while, you watch curiously as the other three poke and prod and flip through the book's blank pages, but eventually you drift away, overwhelmed by the chaotic interior of the wagon, the eyes of the imps on you, the smell of the thick vapor coming from the snakelike person's pipe...

You slide down the wall and sit on the floor, drawing your knees up tight to your chest. The world beyond the walls of the Sanctum is so different from anything you could have imagined, and you feel lost in every possible way. You thought you knew what you needed to do, but now that you're here, you aren't too sure of anything anymore. Where do you even begin? Would it even be possible? What can you in a world where every sight and sound is strange and vaguely threatening to you?

A clawed hand appears in your vision, holding a brightly-colored paper wrapper. You blink in surprise and look up at the snakelike person offering you the candy with a reassuring smile, a gesture which may have been more comforting if it weren't for the multitude of snakes on their head also staring down at you.

"Go on, love. Take it."

After a long moment, you reach out, and crone drops the candy into your upturned palm. They turn to the cat-eared woman, who has moved away from the book and is now looking over a very worn and mostly blank map.

"Slugmarket, dear. It's out to the east. A good place to find supplies and information, both of which are running a little low for us."

The woman's ear twitches as she rolls up the map. She wags it at the imps sitting near the ceiling.

"Alrighty then. We're going east!"

A choir of chattering arises from the imps, most of which alight from their various perches and swoop up into a small hatch in the ceiling. A moment later, the wagon lurches, and you throw your arms out to the side to steady yourself as it begins to move, seemingly of its own accord. It soon settles into a steady pace, and the demonic woman approaches you, sitting down a polite distance away. You avoid her gaze by staring at your knees.

"Do you have a name?"

When you don't respond, she continues on her own.

"My name is Resolve. The crone is Ethel, and the druid is Paisley."

As the woman gestures to each of her companions in turn, the snakelike person responds with a tip of their pipe, and the cat-eared woman glances over from in front of a cabinet in the corner but says nothing. Resolve looks back down at you, although you still don't have a response. As far as you're concerned, you have no name to give. You aren't that person anymore. At your silence, Resolve looks away again, rubbing at the back of her neck.

"... I suppose you don't have to tell us your name, if you don't want to."

The creaking and shifting of the wagon in movement fails to fill the silence between you. Eventually Resolve rises and makes a gesture towards Ethel, and the two of them retreat into another room of the wagon, leaving you and Paisley alone. You glance sidelong at the druid and see that she's now climbed on top of the cabinet and curled up on top of it, apparently asleep despite having been perfectly awake not a minute ago.

Your attention then turns to the candy Ethel had given you, still held tightly in your hand. Sweets had been a rarity in the Sanctum, and you usually traded yours away for favors and such, so when you pull at the wrapper which deposits a bright red drop into your palm, you aren't sure what it will taste like. What you aren't expecting is for it to burn as soon as it touches your tongue; you let out an involuntary yelp and drop it onto the floor of the wagon as a trio of imps hanging from the ceiling make a snickering sound.

From atop the cabinet, Paisley's ear twitches, and one of her eyes opens partway. You freeze, unsure if you've done something wrong by accidentally waking her, anticipating the worst, but it isn't long before her eye closes again and she returns to her sleep.

You reach down and pick up the candy, which is already coated in debris from the floor of the wagon, and decide that it's best if no one finds out that you accidentally ruined it, even if it's such a small thing. Concentrating your aura in your palms, hardening it, you bring your hands together, the candy crackling as you crush it into as small of pieces as you can, scattering them on the floor of the wagon and sweeping them away with your foot. You bring your knees to your chest once more and bury your face in your arms.


	3. Chapter 3

The cave doesn't look like much to you, a yawning abyss rising from the flat expanse of green not far from the ashy plains of the riverside, but the wagon comes to a stop outside it anyway. As you stare into the foreboding depths from the side of the wagon, you can't imagine anyone wanting to go inside.

"Should we go inside?"

You stare at Resolve in disbelief, but she's busy consulting Ethel and Paisley on how best to proceed.

"There might be something dangerous in there. We're more well-equipped than most to handle it, if there is."

You know Resolve is speaking of the small assortment of armaments which are kept inside the wagon, blades and armor that you had been doing your best to ignore. They make you uncomfortable, as if they remind you of something you'd rather forget.

Paisley's eyes narrow at the cave, and she turns to Ethel.

"Is there anything in there? Can you tell?"

Taking a long drag from their pipe, Ethel similarly gazes deep into the darkness, but after a few moments, they release their breath in a thick cloud of orange smoke.

"There's some powerful magicks. That's about all I can say."

"I'm for it, then."

Paisley pauses, glancing down at you.

"I’m guessing we're leaving the kid here?"

Resolve looks unsure but sighs.

"... I suppose so."

A weight fills your chest as she kneels next to you to look you in the eye, a look which you do not return.

"Will you be alright on your own? It's too dangerous for you to come with us..."

You feel like you don't have a choice. You nod silently.

The others make their preparations, and it isn't long before you are watching them vanish into the mouth of the cave, swallowed by darkness. For a long time you stare after them, the weight in your chest growing as thoughts race around your mind. Will they come back? What if they don't? Why do you care? You barely know them aside from their names, and they know even less about you. But they had been nice to you. Why had they been nice to you? Will they come back...?

It isn't until the light from the faded sun starts to hit your eyes that you realize you've been standing outside the wagon for several hours doing nothing but stare at the cave. The other three still haven't returned. Where are they? Are they alright? Why do you care? You tense, looking between the wagon and the cave, as your thoughts and emotions tumble over each other. You hate it.

Despite your own protests, you find yourself approaching the cave, hesitating for a long moment at the place where the light ends and the dark begins before stepping inside.

The light behind you fades quickly, leaving you in near pitch-blackness. Your aura glows dimly, only enough for you to just barely see your immediate surroundings, and you quickly place one hand against the wall so as not to lose your way. Slowly, you make your way step by step through the dark tunnel, every sense on high alert.

The air is warm and damp. The stone wall feels like the scales of an ancient creature against your hand. The darkness presses in around you. You hate it. You force yourself onward.

Finally, you hear the faint murmur of an echoed conversation ahead, and as the tunnel slowly curves ahead of you, a flicker of distant warm light comes into view. Ethel's voice becomes recognizable.

"... still unsure how we should be treating her when she's transformed."

"That's true, but to be honest, I don't think she even realizes when she _isn't_ transformed half the time."

Ethel chuckles at Resolve's response. As the tunnel straightens out once more, you see both of them peering at something along the base of the wall, Resolve holding a torch in one hand. Any relief you feel at seeing them is swiftly tempered by uncertainty that you should be there at all. Your steps slow as Resolve straightens up.

"At any rate, it hopefully won't be long before she--"

She stops suddenly as she notices something from the edge of her vision--you.

"Who's there?"

The authority in her voice freezes you in place as your fear finally overwhelms you, you shouldn't be here, Resolve steps forward, torch held high, and you almost step back into the shadows as the halo of flickering light reaches you, her expression changing immediately as she recognizes you.

"Oh, it's you! What are you doing here?"

You hang your head low. You shouldn't be here. You've done something wrong. You deserve whatever happens next.

"I'm sorry if I startled you, I... I wasn't expecting you to follow us."

You hang your head lower. You should be the one apologizing. You're the one who isn't doing what you were told.

"Are... you alright?"

Resolve is standing in front of you now, and she crouches down so she can look you in the eye. You keep your gaze fixed on the floor of the cave. Even without looking at her, you can tell she's searching for the right words to say to you, though you already know she won't find them. Before she can even try, however, Ethel speaks from behind her.

"I believe Paisley is about to join us as well, Resolve."

A moment's hesitation, and then Resolve pushes herself back upright.

"Come on. Just... stay close to me, alright?"

You give a small nod. You decide you've had enough of disobeying orders for today.

As per Resolve's instruction, you follow close behind her as she walks back to Ethel, who is peering into a small opening in the rocky wall. You can hear a faint scratching from within the opening, and you tense, but Ethel, who can see the source of the sound, seems unconcerned, so you force yourself to stay put. It could be anything, it doesn't have to be a Nightmare, it could be anything...

You know exactly what you expect to emerge from the opening, and it certainly isn't the hind legs of a small grey cat, followed shortly by the rest of it. The creature is wrapped in a necklace of beads far too large for it, and it drags along a flat stone with a strange rune carved onto its surface. It gladly drops the stone in front of Ethel, flicking its tongue in distaste.

Ethel picks up the stone, examining the rune and nodding.

"This would be one of them. Many thanks, Paisley."

... Paisley?

You look closer at the cat, who in turn looks up at you with bright, blue-violet eyes. The cat flicks one ear, and then suddenly, nearly faster than you can even register, it transforms, slipping easily into a human form that you recognize far more quickly.

"Looks like our group's gotten bigger."

Resolve glances at you as well.

"I suppose we took too long in returning. We haven't run into too much trouble, so it shouldn't be a problem if she stays with us instead."

Paisley nods and reaches down to pick up the necklace of beads that had slipped off while she was transforming. She turns to Ethel and gestures further down the tunnel, into the darkness.

"Anything that way?"

"Naught but more dead ends. I think we'd best return this to its brethren, and decide where to go from there."

Ethel raises the runed stone, and the other two agree with their suggestion. You, of course, aren't allowed an opinion; your only duty is to stay close to Resolve as the four of you make your way back up the tunnel.

The going is much quicker with the light from Resolve's torch, although since you made your way here in complete darkness, you have no idea where the others are going. It isn't long before the four of you find yourselves at the mouth of a large cavern, too large for a single torch to illuminate all of it. All you can see is a vast expanse of darkness, the nothingness mirrored by a stretch of shallow water flowing gently across the cave floor.

You hesitate at the water's edge as the other three begin to make their way across. Your hesitation does not go unnoticed.

"It's alright, it's very shallow."

Resolve walks back to you; the water hardly comes up to her ankles. Behind her, you notice Ethel raise a hand to one of the baubles on their clothes, speaking a word you can't hear as it begins to glow, and they and Paisley continue across the underground lake.

"... Do you want me to carry you?"

No, you don't want Resolve to have to trouble herself because of your own cowardice. The water here is nothing compared to the violent current that bore you to the Downside. You cautiously step into the water, flinching at the cold current against your bare feet, and slowly, very slowly, you follow Resolve deeper into the cavern.

On the other side, Ethel and Paisley are standing before a large door carved into the wall of the cave, separated from the watery floor by a small raised platform and adorned with runes that glow with a faint green light. By the time you and Resolve reach them, Ethel has already slotted the stone Paisley found into a gap on the door's surface along with two other such stones, although a space remains for one more.

"Where could our wayward runestone be...?"

Ethel speaks with a sigh, tapping one claw against the lighted bauble on their clothing. You hate how it makes the shadows on the wall move.

"I think the only place we haven't fully searched is this room."

The other two turn to look at Resolve as she and you join them on the platform in front of the door. She gestures into the darkness with her free hand.

"Who knows how far this cavern goes..."

"Well, shall we find out?"

Resolve turns to you.

"You can stay here, if you'd like."

You would very much like to spend as little time as possible in the water, although it feels rude to hinder the group's search by staying behind. Before you can figure out how to express this, however, Paisley speaks up.

"I can wait here with her. I wanna try and figure out more of what this all says, anyway."

She points at the runes surrounding the stone door. Resolve nods, handing her the torch, and she and Ethel head back into the darkness, this time making their way along the wall in which the door is set.

Silence settles around you and Paisley. You crouch at the edge of the platform, reaching down and dipping your hand into the water, watching as the gentle current warps around your fingers.

"Not a fan of water, huh?"

You flinch as Paisley's voice breaks the silence. You do not turn to look at her.

"Me neither. Can't really imagine anyone down here would be, not after that trip down the Sclorian."

She laughs dryly.

"Unless you're a wyrm or something, I guess."

You withdraw your hand from the water, gazing down at it. It's hard for you to believe that it was only a day ago that you were standing in the river, staring at the roiling waters while some Commonwealth officiate read you your final rites. You hadn't listened; you had been too busy cursing yourself for only then realizing that your plan would mean nothing if you drowned before you even reached the Downside.

But you'd made it. You escaped. You're alive. But what now?

The echo of a voice rings from somewhere in the darkness, in the direction that Resolve and Ethel had gone to explore. You don't catch its meaning, but Paisley seems to have as she speaks to you.

"Let's go see what they found, huh?"

You rise and follow her as she steps into the water, the two of you following the wall of the cave towards Resolve and Ethel. It isn't long before the light from Ethel's bauble becomes visible in the darkness, and you and Paisley join the two of them at the mouth of a small tunnel. The soft current flowing across the floor is stronger here, trickling out of the darkness.

"Parts yet unknown," Ethel mutters to themself as they peer up into the tunnel. "Shall we?"

You return to your position behind Resolve and follow her as she and the others head into the tunnel, which leads up a small incline. The tunnel deposits you in a spacious cavern, lit by an enormous fire down at the opposite end of the room. Shadows dance on the walls, which you realize are covered in an assortment of armaments embedded into the stone. You're hesitant to step out of the stream of water and into the cavern proper.

Paisley, meanwhile, has already moved to inspect the fire, looking closely at the ring of stones that encircle it.

"More of that writing."

"What's it say?"

Resolve hasn't moved far from the cavern entrance. You hope she remains there, as it means you wouldn't have to follow her further into the room.

"Let's see... it says, ‘The youngest...’ oh."

She glances at you.

"The youngest must burn."

You quickly look back down the tunnel behind you. You shouldn't be here. You shouldn't have followed the others into the cave. You shouldn't be in the Downside, you shouldn't have gotten yourself exiled, you should never have tried to leave the Sanctum--

"It can't possibly mean that."

Resolve's voice interrupts your thoughts but does little to calm your mounting fears. Ethel gives a thoughtful hum.

"Naturally. Something to do with all this, more like... I wonder..."

A strange noise. You raise your eyes just far enough to see one of the blades on the wall struggling to pull free, apparently of its own accord, were it not for Ethel gesturing at it with one hand. Eventually it loosens, hanging in the air, and Ethel slithers over to the fire as it floats along behind them. Paisley watches while Ethel tosses the blade into the flame with a flick of their wrist, and the two of them examine it closely within the fire.

After a long few moments, Paisley flicks one ear.

"... Nothing. You figure the right one's gonna burn?"

"Aye, love. Shall we see if we can find our 'youngest'?"

The two of them begin to inspect the walls, although thankfully it doesn't appear as though they need your help in their search. You sit on the floor close to the cavern entrance, and Resolve sits with you, pulling her lute into her lap. She plucks at the strings and fiddles with the pegs on the end, discordant notes shifting up and down, before strumming a chord. The sound is sharp yet sweet, and it fills your mind. You've never heard anything like it before.

"Do you like music?"

Resolve's voice finds its way in, and you realize that you're staring. You respectfully lower your eyes, but you can't quite look away from the lute as Resolve begins to play a string of notes, a tune with no real melody.

"Any requests?"

The question is directed at you, but from across the cavern, Paisley pauses her search to turn her head towards Resolve.

"Play Swallow's Song!"

Resolve similarly turns to look back at her. Only then does the druid seem to realize that Resolve had been speaking to you as her ears lay flat against her head.

"Oh, uh, never mind, I guess."

She becomes very interested in the walls once more. Resolve looks to you.

"... Would you like to hear that one? It's about one of the Scribes."

You don't know much about the Scribes. The Sanctum never spoke of them, except to say that worshiping them was blasphemy of the highest order, and although Grenby the groundskeeper had mentioned them shortly before your exile, he had been hesitant to go into detail. You nod.

Resolve settles into a more comfortable position, holds up the lute, and begins to sing a somber yet airy tune:

> One blackened night, by dim torchlight  
we rode through dying lands.  
With titan’s sleep, the sickness creeped,  
a plague beneath the sands.
> 
> As there Shax lay, to our dismay,  
we saw no true recourse.  
His skin unflayed beneath our blades,  
no matter our skill or force.
> 
> Ha’ub! A rare and gifted kind.  
Ha’ub! With horns that gleamed and shined.  
Ha’ub! The smallest of our kin.  
Ha’ub! Braved a fight we could not win.
> 
> A shadow loomed, six-shoulders doomed,  
but the imp was not deterred.  
Ha’ub flew fast, his reflection cast  
o’er our faces upturned.
> 
> Despite our fears, Ha’ub saw clear  
and chirped a bright, fierce note.  
We called a cry as he pierced the sky  
and flew down the titan’s throat--

A sudden shout from Paisley cuts Resolve's song short. Again, she turns to stare at her, more forcefully this time, and again Paisley's ears fold back in a sign of apology.

"Uh, sorry, it's just that, I think I found it..."

Resolve sighs heavily and carefully stows the golden lute back over her shoulder. You quickly get to your feet as she pushes herself up, and you follow her to join Ethel and Paisley. Paisley has in her hand a short, double-curved blade, fairly dull and worn.

"Are you certain?"

Although Ethel seems doubtful, Paisley nods confidently.

"The Highwings first started making this kind of dagger less than thirty years ago, after the Commonwealth changed how their armor moved at the joints. It might not be the newest weapon in this room, but it's probably the most recently invented. That makes it the 'youngest', don't you think?"

Resolve also seems doubtful, but for different reasons.

"How did you know that? About Harp weapons?"

Paisley's expression quickly changes, and she just as quickly looks away. Before she can answer, however, Ethel clears their throat.

"However you came to know that, it's a good thing you did. We'd have been here all night otherwise."

Paisley mumbles something under her breath and turns to the flame, tossing the dagger into the flame. Unlike the previous blade, however, the fire immediately takes to it, consuming it, transforming it as it falls to the ground a flat stone engraved with another strange rune. Ethel makes another of their odd gestures, and the stone lifts of its own accord out of the fire, hovering in front of the crone.

"And the last. Shall we see where our mysterious door leads us, hmm?"

You follow the others back down the tunnel and across the underground stream to the rune door. Ethel fits the final rune into the empty slot, and you hear a deep rumbling from behind the stone walls. With the scraping of stone against stone, the door slowly sinks into a groove in the floor, exposing a wide, dark tunnel sloping gently upwards. You stay very close to Resolve as the group ventures onward into the darkness.

As you continue, however, the darkness seems to grow slowly brighter, natural light filtering into the tunnel from around a sharp curve up ahead. As you approach and the light grows stronger, Paisley, who has been leading the group, holds up one hand in a gesture to stop as she herself creeps further ahead to see what lies beyond the curve of the tunnel.

"... I saw this room earlier."

Her voice is hushed, and a similar urgent silence falls over Ethel and Resolve.

"Back when I was going through that tunnel, I passed through here up on a ledge. I heard... something. Growling? I couldn't see what it was, though."

"Monsters?"

Paisley nods at Resolve's question as her hand moves to the long, curved blade hanging at her waist. Ethel taps a claw against their glowing bauble, the light fading, and with a wave of their hand they douse Resolve's torch. Resolve stows the torch and reaches behind her for the small rounded shield hanging from her waist and the long blade sheathed at her side. She glances down at you.

"Stay behind me."

A pit grows in your stomach. You hate it.

You follow Resolve as she follows Paisley slowly, carefully, around the curve of the tunnel, which opens up into a tall cavern. A large crack in the ceiling filters down orange light from the sun outside, illuminating two rows of ancient stone columns leading to a massive statue of a winged snake down at the far end of the cavern.

But you don't care about that. You care about the creatures, skulking, turning to you, things with gaunt forms and dripping fangs and hungry yellow eyes.

A snarl from close by. Too close.

"Paisley, look out--"

Resolve's warning is already too late as the unseen beast lunges in a flurry of teeth and claws, Paisley shouts in surprise and pain as Resolve steps forward, striking at the beast with her shield, the sound of metal against bone, the beast relents and Paisley falls back, her arm covered in red, your own blood runs cold, you hate it, you hate it you hate it you hate and your hate propels you forward underneath Resolve's shield towards the creature and you bring your aura crashing against it and dig your aura into it again and again as its teeth flash and you hate it and you strike it again and it lets go, staggers back, tries to flee, you won't let it, all it takes is one final lunge and it crumples but it isn't over, you aren't safe, another of the beasts stands between you and the statue but it won't for long, you'll make sure of it as you advance and it doesn't move and you swipe at it with the full force of your aura, its body crashing into one of the columns with a sickening crack and you stare, waiting, waiting for it to get up. It doesn't. It's over.

It's only as your fear subsides that you realize the creatures you were fighting weren't Nightmares.

_... Thank you._

The unfamiliar voice cuts through your thoughts, speaking in a language you don't recognize but can understand fully. The act of someone else speaking through your mind makes you deeply uncomfortable, and as you quickly look around for the source, it doesn't take much for you to notice that the statue of the winged snake is in fact not a statue at all, but a very real creature, one which is now staring down at you, and your fear begins to rise again and you reel back--

"Those things were attacking you?"

You hadn't noticed that Resolve had caught up to you, standing next to you, and although she has not yet sheathed her sword, she seems unafraid of the winged snake. You quickly drop your aura and step behind her, your forgotten promise to stay close to her weighing heavily on your shoulders.

Ethel and Paisley join Resolve shortly after. While Ethel regards the winged snake curiously, Paisley's attention turns to you as she kneels down and reaches out, gently taking your arm. Though you stiffen at her touch, you don't resist as she inspects the place where the creature had bitten you. It's only then that you notice the injury is gone; if it weren't for the tears and the dark stains on the sleeve of your dress, you might have doubted that it ever happened at all. Paisley's own injury was similarly vanished. When had she cast a healing spell on you? Your memory is hazy, and you don't care to go into it.

Meanwhile, Resolve, Ethel, and the winged snake have been speaking with each other, although you've been doing your best to block the snake's voice out of your mind. As Paisley releases your arm and straightens up, however, you can't ignore it any longer.

_This is the place of our birth. We have returned here, where we entered this world, so that soon it may be the place where we pass into the next._

"You're dying."

The snake nods at Ethel's statement, and Paisley gestures towards the body of the broken creature laying at the base of the column.

" ‘Cause of those things?"

_Nay, it is simply our time. However, thanks to thee, our passing may now be a peaceful one, and for that, we are grateful._

The snake lifts one of its wings, passing it through the air above, and you shrink back, preparing for the worst, but the moment passes, the wing withdraws, leaving only a single feather floating gently down into Ethel's outstretched hand.

_Accept of us this boon. May its magicks intertwine with thine own, and be together stronger._

Ethel smiles a strange smile as they bow respectfully. Paisley follows suit, and after a moment Resolve does as well. You wish you were somewhere else.

_Now, please... leave us._

"Of course."

Ethel says something more, a raspy chant-like hiss, and the winged snake gives a small nod. One by one, the group turns to leave, and you follow, but as you reach the tunnel leading out of the cavern, you glance back at the snake as it lowers its head and coils around itself.

All your life, you had associated death with shame and defeat, a sign of being too weak to continue. But as the snake closes its eyes for what you can only assume is the final time, it looks... peaceful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Swallow's Song brought to you courtesy of Nil "Sly" "xXdemonLover420Xx" Insertresolveslastnamehere


	4. Chapter 4

By the time the four of you make it back to the mouth of the cave, Paisley's previous warning about the weather turning has come true, and you're met with a vicious wind carrying with it thick waves of scouring dust and debris from across the plains.

"It would be foolish to travel in this."

Ethel frowns at the storm from the safety of the cave's entrance. Resolve peers up at the stony ceiling, then over at the wagon sitting a short distance away.

"We can't fit the blackwagon in here, but we could at least bring it closer, block some of the wind... Then I guess we'll have to wait out the storm."

"I hope that couatl doesn't mind us camping out on their doorstep..."

Paisley sighs and follows Resolve as the two of them strike out into the storm to reach the blackwagon. Ethel, meanwhile, turns back into the cave, untying an entire string of baubles from around their waist and lighting all of them with a wave of their hand. You press yourself against the stone wall to stay out of everyone else's way.

As Ethel directs the string of lights upwards with another wave of their hand, you look back out at Resolve and Paisley, who are struggling to push the blackwagon towards the cave. Most of the drive imps are nowhere to be seen, but a pair of them squeeze out through a slot in the wall to watch, making snickering noises--at least until Paisley shouts at them to help. Resignedly, they squeeze back inside, and the blackwagon starts to move a little more quickly.

Once the blackwagon is up against the mouth of the cave and blocking some of the storm, the other three start to set up camp, settling into a routine that they've clearly followed many times before. You watch, a weight growing in your chest as you feel more and more like you should be helping. Why aren't you helping? Did you really need to wait to be told what to do? You don't know what to do. You don't know anything. You're just a stupid child, an idiot who thought throwing her entire life away would somehow improve it. You never should have left the Sanctum.

"... Did you want to help?"

You look over at Resolve but can't meet her gaze. You push yourself away from the wall, ready to do what you're told.

"There's still a few things to bring in from the blackwagon... Give me a hand?"

You follow Resolve as she walks past the fire pit Paisley had conjured up by molding a circle in the stone floor as if it were sand. By that point the druid had gone back out into the storm in search of tinder, leaving Ethel to set up a cooking pot in which an odd-colored liquid is already simmering, despite the lack of a fire beneath it. You and Resolve head into the blackwagon, the inside of which creaks and shifts with the force of the gale outside.

Resolve speaks as she shoves some things away from a ladder leaning against the wall, leading up to a small hatch in the ceiling.

"Paisley said there were some thicker blankets in storage, in case it ever got cold, but they should also be useful for if we're going to be sleeping in that cave... Better than laying on solid stone, at any rate."

She steps away from the ladder and gestures for you to come forward. You do, stepping onto the ladder as the rungs creak beneath your feet, up to the hatch in the ceiling. It sticks at first but cracks open with a more forceful shove, and you peer into the darkness of the crawlspace above.

"Do you see them? You can just throw them down, you don't have to worry about carrying them..."

You see several shapes in the dust and dim light, some of which appear to be the shapes of folded blankets. Reaching out, you grab the corner of one, but it's heavier than you thought, and it takes a good amount of effort to drag it towards you with one hand. You heave it through the crawlspace hatch, dropping it down to Resolve, who catches it as easily as if it were a linen sheet.

"That's one of them. Are there any more?"

There is one, but it's a bit further away, and you have to step up another rung on the ladder and reach out with both hands to pull it. As such, you have no hands left to steady yourself on the ladder when you force it through the hatch, and when you lose your balance both you and the blanket end up tumbling down into Resolve's arms.

"Careful!"

For a moment you're lost in a sea of blankets and limbs, trying desperately to get your bearings before Resolve sets you upright on the floor of the blackwagon. You quickly step away, hoping the redness of your aura is hiding the color rising to your face.

"I'm sorry--"

"Are you--"

You and Resolve stop at the same time, waiting, you keep your eyes downwards, waiting, before Resolve sighs and reaches down to pick up the fallen blankets. She shakes them out one at a time before draping them over her arm. You wait.

"... Maybe we'll have to find a better place to put these. Thank you for helping me get them down."

You stare up at Resolve. Why is she thanking you? You hadn't done anything. You'd fallen down a ladder. Dropped a blanket, gotten it dirty. Or, dirtier than it was already. You hadn't done anything...

Resolve clears her throat and turns towards the door of the blackwagon.

"Well, I'll... okay."

She leaves, the entire wagon shifting as she steps down past the door. You remain, one hand on the place where Resolve had caught you as you fell, trying to make sense of the situation in which you found yourself, not just there in that moment, but in the Downside, in this strange new world beyond the walls of the Sanctum and the edges of the world. You can't determine exactly what it is Resolve, Ethel, and Paisley expect of you, or why they would be kind to you, but... no, you can't figure it out.

When you leave the blackwagon, you see that Paisley has returned from searching the dust storm, and a fire now flickers beneath Ethel's cooking pot. The smell coming from the pot is incredible, and you're suddenly reminded that you haven't eaten anything since you were taken from the Sanctum. Paisley notices you and waves you over, gesturing for you to sit next to her by the campfire as Ethel lifts a stack of mismatched bowls and a beaten ladle. They spoon a generous helping of a thin, pale liquid into one of the bowls and hand it out to you.

"Careful, love. It's quite hot."

After a pause, you take the bowl, looking down at the soup which, as far as you can tell, doesn't actually have anything in it aside from broth. You heed Ethel's warning and wait, despite the growling in your stomach. As soon as everyone else has a bowl, you carefully lift yours and take a small sip, and the richness of the flavor is so immediately overwhelming that you nearly choke despite having drank barely anything.

"You alright?"

Paisley gives you a concerned look, and you nod quickly, doing your best not to cough. Once the impulse passes, you try again, and you discover that Ethel's soup is quite possibly the best thing you've ever tasted. You soon find your bowl empty, but you hesitate to ask for more, since it doesn't look like anyone else has finished theirs yet. Even so, Ethel reaches over, taking your bowl and refilling it before handing it back to you; your second helping disappears just as quickly as the first.

Paisley lowers her empty bowl and sighs contentedly.

"How do you do it, Ethel? I swear by the stars, you could make dirt taste good."

"They’ve already done so."

Resolve chuckles under her breath as Paisley turns to give her an incredulous look. Ethel puts a hand over their chest with an indignant scoff.

"Why, love! Are you implying that I would feed you dirt?"

"Not as a main course, maybe, but you _would_ use it as a seasoning..."

Paisley laughs and Ethel shakes their head, although the snakes atop their head curl playfully.

"One has to learn to be resourceful in a place like this, you know. Or would you rather I didn't use my magicks to flavor your food?"

Resolve makes a pained expression. Paisley leans forward, reaching for the ladle and refilling her bowl.

"Speaking of resources, how are ours?"

"Lower than earlier, naturally. If we make good time tomorrow, we'll have enough to last us until we reach Slugmarket in the evening, even with our unexpected addition."

Ethel gestures at you, and you stare down at the bowl in your hands, reminded that you still haven't given the group a name to call you by. You owe them that much, don't you? But your old name won't do. You aren't that person anymore. You don't want to be that person anymore. A name, a name... but what kind of name?

A memory of a friendly voice floats to the front of your mind.

_Red's not all bad, you know. Why, it's one of the most sought-after colors in nature! All manner of plants have got red flowers. See--here, look here..._

You try to recall Grenby's drawings, his lists of plants and flowers from around the world that he had found during his travels, names and places you would never get to see. You mumble one of those names under your breath, wondering how it would sound on you. Unfortunately, you don't go unnoticed, and Paisley flicks one ear and turns to you.

"Did you say something?"

Suddenly, you aren't sure. But it's too late now. You keep your eyes downcast as you quietly repeat yourself.

"... Amaranth. M-my name is Amaranth."

You're used to people staring at you. It happened all the time in the Sanctum, when someone would have to double-check to make sure that yes, that horrible red figure was you, not a Nightmare. You're used to it. But now, for a reason you don't understand, you want nothing more than to curl up and disappear as you feel the eyes of the other three on you.

"Amaranth... that's a pretty name."

Paisley is the first to speak up. You glance over at her and she offers you a reassuring smile, although you don't feel very reassured. Resolve gives a thoughtful hum.

"Well, Amaranth, it's nice to officially meet you."

A warm feeling rises and settles in your chest, one which isn't entirely unfamiliar or unpleasant, although you can't figure out why it's there or what you've done to deserve it. You can't figure it out, even as you struggle to make sense of your own thoughts, even as everyone finishes eating, even as you help Ethel wash the things from dinner and stow them back in the blackwagon, even as you curl up on one of the thick winter blankets, even as you stare at the wall of the cave while Resolve sits with her lute and plays a gentle tune that drowns out the howling of the wind outside...

You still can't figure it out. You start to wonder if you ever will.


	5. Chapter 5

A dream.

An endless torrent, chaotic and unforgiving. Images and scenes tumbling over each other faster than your mind can register them, crashing into each other, assaulting your senses.

You can’t breathe. You try to fight the current. You fail.

You awaken several times during the night. Sometimes you hear soft voices, sometimes you hear nothing. Each time, it isn’t long before the weight of your eyelids drags you back into sleep.

You’re running through the darkness, past jagged shapes of trees and rocks and buildings. You can see others in the gaps in between, figures of kids you used to know, watching. You don’t remember your names. You’d seen so many come and go from the Sanctum.

You search the faces as you run past, looking for someone you already know you won’t find.

Something else from the gaps in between finds you first. A snarl from close by. Too close.

You turn, too late to dodge it, as the flurry of red lunges at you, all teeth and claws and hate and you hate it and you’re almost on your feet before you even realize that you’re awake, gasping for breath, staring into nothingness as you listen for any smallest sound, any sign of the Nightmare.

Several long minutes pass before you can allow yourself to relax.

It takes a shorter minute for you to recognize your surroundings, the inside of the cave illuminated by the soft glow of the sky beyond the blackwagon. You look around as you silently get to your feet; Resolve is still asleep, and while there’s no sign of Paisley, you spot Ethel at the mouth of the cave. They don’t seem to have noticed you, preoccupied with their pipe as they are, odd shapes forming in the multicolored smoke in front of them. You’re still having trouble fitting the kindly sorcerer with the image of bog-crones the Sanctum had given you, of evil witches and foul magicks, and you’re careful to not draw their attention as you duck underneath the blackwagon and slip away beneath the pre-dawn sky.

The prairie is calm with no trace of the scouring wind from yesterday, save for the small mounds of dust and debris left in small piles around the scattered rocks and shrubs. You step up onto one of those rocks, looking around the flatlands, wondering where it all ends. The horizon disappears over rolling hills in the distance, but it doesn’t stop. It stretches on and on in every direction, forever...

All your life, you’ve known only walls and structure, the same thing day after day, month after month, year after year. If this were another morning in the Sanctum, you would already know what you were doing for the day. Here, though, you can do whatever you want. So what do you want to do...?

For a while, you do nothing. You stand and stare at the horizon, watching the sun rise for what you think is the first time in your life. As light spills over the prairie, it flashes off something hidden in the grass, and you hop down from the rock and go to investigate. You find a brook snaking through the field, so small you could step across it and not even notice if you hadn’t known it was there, and for a while you crouch at its side and watch the water flow gently by.

It’s all so... mundane. And yet, you’ve never felt like this before.

You realize that a group of smooth white stones you’d been staring at in the water aren’t stones at all. Reaching down into the stream, you grab one of them, the stem of the mushroom snapping as you yank it and pull it out of the water, holding it up to your face. You’ve never heard of mushrooms growing underwater. You wonder if it’s edible. You’re hungry.

"Amaranth! ... Amaranth?"

It takes a moment for you to realize that Paisley’s voice is referring to you. You stop staring at the mushroom and look up to see her stepping carefully through the grass, although you can’t tell what it is she’s trying to avoid stepping on. She grins as she approaches and crouches down next to you.

"You’re up early! Sorry, um, if I woke you up last night. I-I get pretty restless sometimes..."

You shake your head. You don’t know how to explain to her that she doesn’t need to apologize, that you never slept well, that it was a natural result of spending your entire life with the entirely rational fear of something killing you in your sleep.

"It’s fine."

Paisley makes a contented noise, looking down at the mushroom in your hand. Her eyes go wide.

"Where’d you get that?"

You point down at the cluster of mushrooms in the water. Paisley leans over the water, ears forward in interest.

"Oh, nice find! Creekshrooms are edible, and edible mushrooms aren’t easy to come by down here. ... I wonder, though..."

Paisley’s expression changes and she reaches down into the water, scooping up a handful. She whispers a word you don’t know, and the water in her hand ripples, changing color from clear to cloudy purple. Paisley frowns, sighs, tilts her hand and lets the water run from her palm back into the stream.

"Best to put that one back, though. There’s been a lot of trouble with poisoned water around here lately. Don’t wanna risk getting sick if the mushroom’s been growing in that stuff."

You drop the mushroom back into the creek as Paisley straightens up and looks out over the prairie.

"Well, if you’re up, and I’m up, and Ethel’s up, all we gotta do is drag Resolve outta bed and we can get going."

You follow Paisley back to the cave to find Ethel hunched over Resolve, their pipe in one hand. They blow a cloud of bright pink smoke down at the sleeping demon, and Resolve coughs, sleepily raising one hand and swiping in Ethel’s direction.

"I’m awake, I’m awake, dammit..."

She pushes herself into a sit, trying to wave away the cloud of smoke which refuses to disperse. Ethel turns to Paisley as the two of you approach.

"Ah, there you two are. It’s rations for breakfast, I’m afraid."

Paisley nods as she kneels next to the fire pit. She speaks a word under her breath and starts pushing the solid stone back down into the floor as easily as if it were clay. She looks up at Ethel as she works.

"That’s fine. It’s probably best we eat as we go, anyway. There’s something on the road ahead that might slow us down."

"Something...?"

Ethel repeats Paisley with a frown, but Paisley only gives them an apologetic shrug.

"Dunno how to describe it, really... You’ll see for yourself, it’s right along the road east."

Ethel glances over at Resolve with a curious look, and Resolve returns the look as best as she can from inside the cloud of pink smoke.

It isn’t long before the blackwagon sets off along the road at its usual pace with its usual creaks and groans. For a while, you stand on the small deck outside, watching the landscape roll past, endlessly, relentlessly, until the ceaselessness of it becomes too overwhelming and you go back inside. Resolve is there, looking for someplace to put the winter blankets you’d used the night before, so you sit down in the same place against the wall as you had yesterday, so as to stay out of her way. You pull your knees up to your chest, staring into nothingness as your mind wanders, and you try to think ahead to what to do next.

Or at least, you would, if your stomach would stop growling.

"Are you hungry?"

You turn away, embarrassed that Resolve had heard and wishing you’d stayed outside. Your stomach, however, answers for you. Resolve hesitates, then steps out into the common room at the back of the wagon, returning momentarily and sitting down next to you. She holds something out, and you turn just far enough to see that it’s a slice of dry bread, along with some other foods Resolve has in her lap.

"I haven’t had anything to eat yet, either. It’s definitely not as good as Ethel’s cooking, but it’s something."

You hesitate, but it doesn’t take much for resolve to convince you. True to her word, the bread is bland and tasteless, more similar to the things you ate in the Sanctum. Resolve also hands you a small leather pouch, and you peek inside to find that it’s filled with all kinds of nuts and seeds.

"In case you’re still hungry later."

She gives you a small smile that you do not return. The smile fades.

"It’s okay to ask for things, you know. I know we don’t have a lot, but... it’s like the saying goes, when all you have is nothing, you have a lot to give away."

Despite Resolve’s reassurance, something in your chest hardens. You want to give the pouch, insist that you don’t need it, that you don’t deserve--

"--I don’t know! That’s why I said it was ‘something’!"

Paisley’s exasperated voice floats in from outside the blackwagon where she had been watching the road with Ethel. Resolve frowns, packing up the remainder of the food and pushing herself up.

"What are those two...?"

She exits the blackwagon, and for a minute you sit alone as the voices of the other three continue outside, though you can’t make out their words. Eventually, your curiosity gets the better of you, and you get to your feet, pushing the bag of seeds into your dress pocket as you move to the door of the wagon. You open it just enough to slip outside and see--

... Something impossible.

A wall of black. Reality peeled away like the skin of a fruit. Shapes in the darkness, outlines of a landscape that used to be there.

You know what it is. You know what you’re looking at is impossible.

Something glimmers, deep in the darkness. You recognize what it represents; in the Dream, it isn’t unusual to find thoughts and memories left behind by others. But that only makes sense in the logic of sleep, and you aren’t asleep now. Are you?

You climb over the railing of the blackwagon and jump down.

"Amaranth!"

The surprised shout doesn’t stop you as you draw closer to the line where one world ends and the other abruptly begins, but the sudden hand on your shoulder does. You look up at Resolve, who is staring at the Dream with unease. Her confusion only adds to your own.

"... You don’t recognize it?"

"Recognize it?"

Resolve glances down at you. You don’t understand; she’s Marked, same as you. How could she not recognize the Dream? Doesn’t she see it every night in her sleep? Doesn’t she have Nightmares like you?

You stare into the darkness. You don’t know what’s happening, how this is possible, why it’s happening. You only know what the Sanctum told you, that the Downside is the source of the Dream, and the Dream is the source of the Mark. You don’t know what any of that means here and now.

The light in the darkness continues to flicker.

You carefully slip out from Resolve’s grasp and walk up to the edge of the world, aware that Resolve is following you closely. Paisley quickly joins you.

"H-hold on, you can’t just go wandering in there! It could be dangerous!"

She’s right, but you’re starting to wonder if she and the others realize that simply being around you is dangerous. You reach one hand out towards the darkness.

"The Dream itself won’t hurt you."

To prove your point, you step forward, your hand disappearing, transforming, becoming the hollow shape of a hand outlined in the red of your aura, and you take another step all the way through into the Dream, noticing how you feel no different from before. Looking back, you see the others and the world beyond as if through a pane of water, like they’re the ones in the world of dreams.

The light in the darkness continues to flicker. You want to know what it is.

You make your way deeper into the grove, past the dull outlines of stones and trees. Behind you, you can hear the others, who had decided to follow you after all.

"Well... I never thought the stories to be true, much less accurate."

Ethel’s tone is one of careful curiosity, and in your own curiosity you glance over your shoulder at the others. Here in the Dream, the color of their auras becomes as apparent as your own; Ethel’s shines a blazing orange. Kids in the Sanctum had said that your aura matches your personality, and those with orange auras were direct, driven, and usually unafraid to speak their minds.

"Stories? What stories?"

Paisley is almost invisible in the darkness, her muted brown-grey aura blending in with the foliage of the Dream around her. An unusual color, but one you recognized as being secretive and moody but also fiercely loyal.

"Rumors, more like. The kind you only hear several steps removed from a largely unreliable source. Talks of a separate plane of existence running parallel to our own..."

As Ethel speaks, Resolve looks around the area as if searching for something. Of course, you already know the color of her aura: bright blue, like the deepest part of the sky, like her eyes. Adaptable and caring, but unforgiving if wronged. Her gaze falls on you, and you quickly turn away, looking down at your hands.

Red, the color of the Nightmares. Now that you’re inside the Dream, you’re indistinguishable from the monsters.

The light in the darkness continues to flicker.

Despite how far you’ve come from the edge of the Dream, the distant glimmer doesn’t seem to be any closer than before. You don’t think much of it--dreams rarely make logical sense, after all--but the further you walk, the more anxious you feel, and the movement you keep seeing from the corner of your eyes becomes more frequent, shadows that disappear as soon as you turn to look, but you know they’re still there, waiting, waiting--

"What’s that?"

This time, the movement is Paisley, clearly over her initial hesitancy as she moves past you towards the light. Had she... not been able to see it until now? Had any of them?

The surroundings open up into a large clearing, the light perched atop a series of large stones jutting up from the ground. Paisley is already climbing them, and the other two wait below, but you hang back, unable to stop looking over your shoulder. Something feels wrong. You shouldn’t have come here.

"Is something wrong?"

You turn to Resolve, but you freeze as you hear it. A sharp, horrible scratching.

Immediately you whirl back around--four Nightmares, small, shifting back and forth on ragged wings, one of them raises a barbed tail and slings it like a whip, the spikes dart past you as you rush forward with your own aura raised like a wave that you bring crashing down upon the Nightmare and it crumples and you turn to the next one as the wave of your aura swipes at it and it stutters and swings back with its tail and you hate it and you bring your aura against it again and it falls out of the air and you turn to the next one to see a bolt of fire crash into it, you turn to stare at Ethel standing with one finger pointed, a card hovering in front of them, but where is the last Nightmare, where is it, you have to--

Your frantic gaze lands on the ball of light hovering over Resolve’s shoulder. You recognize it. Something rises in your throat, something worse than fear, you have to stop it, you can stop it this time, you rush forward, you won’t let it take her you won’t let it take anyone ever again why won’t your body _move_\--

Oh. Resolve is holding you back, her arms wrapped tightly around you.

"Amaranth, wait!"

You wait. The feeling in your throat sinks back down into your chest, and you can breathe again. You stare down at the blackened ground as Resolve slowly releases you, as if she’s afraid you’ll leap back into fighting as soon as you’re free. You don’t. You feel a little emptier.

An unfamiliar voice speaks from above you.

"Oh... Did you mean to hurt me?"

The sound is otherworldly, as if coming from someplace far away yet very close by at the same time. You don’t want to look at the light, but you raise your eyes just far enough to glare at it. Resolve stands next to you, one hand placed lightly--but firmly--on your shoulder.

"Don’t worry. We’re all safe now that those things are gone."

You look away, watching as Ethel and Paisley approach. Behind Paisley, you see the crumpled remains of the fourth Nightmare, although it does little to relieve your anxiety.

The light bobs swings back and forth in the air.

"Never have I seen such creatures before, although I know this darkness."

Ethel glances around.

"You know about this...?"

They gesture vaguely at their surroundings with one hand.

"Ah, somewhat. The Dream--this darkness--is _Her_ domain."

"Her?"

Resolve’s eyes narrow.

"I should not say Her name, lest She hear me and return to complete the deed She has left unfinished. She must have loosened her grip and dropped me here."

Ethel folds their arms.

"And what of _your_ name, little wisp?"

The light bobs up and down excitedly.

"Of course! I am called Sein! And who may I thank for saving me?"

Your companions introduce themselves, but when it comes to your turn, you remain silent, looking down, looking away. You hate Sein. You hate how looking at them feels like staring directly at the sun, except instead of burning your eyes it burns something else, something deeper down.

"Ah, um... Resolve called you ‘Amaranth’, did she not?"

You scowl. You don’t want Sein to talk to you at all, much less refer to you by name. Next to you, Resolve shifts uneasily.

"... She doesn’t have to introduce herself if she doesn’t want to."

Ethel clears their throat.

"At any rate, any further questions can wait until we’re in safer surroundings. It isn’t far to the edge of this darkness."

"Wonderful! Please, lead the way!"

Sein bobs after Ethel, with Paisley not far behind. Resolve looks down at you.

"Are you alright?"

You don’t answer. You don’t feel alright, even though there’s nothing wrong except for a sickening feeling clawing at your insides, one you can’t name. Silently, you follow after Paisley, keeping your eyes down, away from the light.


End file.
